Located within a busy shopping centre in a dense Maltese seaside town, Art Diamond offers an alternative to conventional diamond stores, prioritising neutrality and lucid customer flow over ostentation. Its shop-front opens onto a bustling piazza, encouraging inclusivity through unencumbered entrance and browsing. Vitrines work as diminutive galleries, with each product given its own dedicated viewing field. The store evokes a museum vernacular, favouring diffused light and spacious browsing areas over saturated product display. Custom cabinets double as spatial landmarks, directing users through curated zones. A minimal material palette reduces waste and streamlines manufacture, with its local Gozo hardstone being quarried only a few miles away. The brand rejects fast-fashion, favouring quality, enduring products – this reflects in the interiors, with material and composition quality ensuring longevity. The store offers varied levels of functionality and privacy. Initial spaces are open, furnished with seating as casual sales points. At the rear, a private laboratory-office offers secluded meeting space. A colonnaded corridor links the shop-front and office – materials shift from stone, metal and glass to timber and fabric, whilst a more intimate scale enhances familiarity and security. Art Diamond functions less as a store as it does a gallery space. Its muted colours and subtle textures pull focus to the precious stones, elevating them to the realm of art in place of product.
Art Diamond
Valentino Architects
Bronze

1 / 10

Tetsuya Matsumoto
Head Architect
at KTX archiLAB
5
6
6
6
5.75

Florian Seidl
Design Manager
at Lavazza
I like how the space becomes more i...
5
7
6
6
6

Royce Epstein
Design Director
at Mohawk Group
The arches are a nice design featur...
5
6
6
5
5.5

Jaycee Chui
Founding partner
at More design office
5
6
6
5
5.5

Matteo Renna
Founder
at matteorenna | studio
5
6
6
5
5.5

Simona Franci
Principal and Design Director
at Fortebis
5
6
6
5
5.5

Julie Payette
Cofounder and Partner
at v2com newswire
Nice soft cozy atmosphere with arch...
6
6
6
6
6

Jelle Sapulete
Design Director
at Adidas
5
6
6
5
5.5

alberto caiola
Design Director
at Alberto Caiola Studio
6
6
6
5
5.75

Judith Haase
Architect
at Gonzalez Haase AAS
5
6
6
5
5.5

P.C.Ee
Editor & Creative Director
at industry+
4
6
4
5
4.75

Shannon Pringle
Interior Designer
at Bernardon
8
7
8
7
7.5

Justin Bridgland
Founding Partner
at More Design Office
6
6
7
5
6

Nic Lee
Design Director
at Waterfrom Design Co., Ltd
6
6
6
5
5.75
Designer
Client
Mr. Lee Satariano
Floor area
85 ㎡
Completion
2020
Photography
Alex Attard
Project Management
DPM Malta